US military, college students eligible for .TV discount

MLB.TV now offers a 35 percent discount for U.S. military members and college students, and Mike Lepley is a perfect example of why it is a priority to have access to watch live out-of-market Major League Baseball games while away from home.

Lepley is a self-described "diehard Angels fan" from Murrieta, Calif., who has been stationed the past two years as a military police officer on the U.S. Army base at Fort Hood, Texas. Amid his military duties, he does whatever it takes to see Mike Trout and the Angels.

MLB.TV now offers a 35 percent discount for U.S. military members and college students, and Mike Lepley is a perfect example of why it is a priority to have access to watch live out-of-market Major League Baseball games while away from home.

Lepley is a self-described "diehard Angels fan" from Murrieta, Calif., who has been stationed the past two years as a military police officer on the U.S. Army base at Fort Hood, Texas. Amid his military duties, he does whatever it takes to see Mike Trout and the Angels.

"I constantly use it on my iPhone and on my Xbox One," Lepley said. "Since I'm a displaced fan, I use it every day to keep track of my Halos. This is the first year that I bought it, and I love every minute of it.

"I also convinced my buddy who is a Royals fan to get it, too. We love being able to keep track of our teams while away from our home states. MLB.TV has saved me from going insane like I did last year without it. "

MLB Advanced Media just launched a program with ID.me, making the new "Troop ID" or "Student ID" discount possible right on the MLB.TV checkout page. Simply follow the steps provided in order to verify, using ID.me authentication. Once your credential is verified, you will immediately receive your offer.

If you're part of a military family or have kids in college, or if you're the one serving or enrolled, this is a smart and brand-new way to see live games the way millions of fans have watched them. MLB.TV has been the most widely distributed and No. 1 sports streaming service since the first game was streamed live in 2002, and media's first OTT (over-the-top content) expanded its offerings for this year, including a brand-new Web-based media player.

In addition to all live out-of-market regular-season games, MLB.TV once again will stream every game of the World Series and the 86th All-Star Game, scheduled for July 14 in Cincinnati.

"I'll be here until the Army says to go somewhere else," Lepley said. "As far as going to Arlington or Houston to catch games, I have thought about it, and I will probably catch a game or two this year. The schedule kind of works out in my favor, since I'm in the Central Time Zone and the Angels are on the West Coast. I catch the games usually around 9 [p.m.], so I will already be off work, but my schedule changes all the time. So when I have the chance and the Angels are playing, I will check my phone and see how they're doing.

"The best thing about MLB.TV is the convenience. With the busy lifestyle of a military police officer, it is extremely hard to keep up with all your teams. But with apps like MLB.com At Bat, it makes it easy for us with a busy schedule. And that goes for anybody with the career that is not a regular 9-to-5 job."